Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is defending his reasoning for cutting pay raises to nearly 300,000 state employees. He told reporters Tuesday he's willing to go to court over the cuts, as he believes he was following the law."

Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn says he's ready to go to court over canceling pay raises for nearly 30,000 state workers. Quinn defended his decision to deny the raises by blaming the General Assembly for not appropriating the necessary money.

Illinois U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk is endorsing a controversial plan as a way to straighten out the federal budget.Lawmakers from both parties are clashing over how to raise the nation's debt ceiling ahead of an Aug. 2 deadline. That's when the U.S.